The mayor’s “Greektown” proposal for the Grace Hospital site could face a hard sell when it is formally introduced to members of the city’s Greek community on Sunday.

Michael Margaritis, president of the Greek Orthodox Community of Windsor, said reaction to the proposal has been largely negative.

But Margaritis said he is confident that will change Sunday when the leadership council of the Greek Community and Mayor Eddie Francis get their first opportunity to present details of the proposal to a church gathering.

Margaritis said the negative perception he’s got so far is based on social media musings and unfounded rumours being spread through the Greek community prior to the proposal getting a proper airing.

“The Greeks are open people … they need to hear both sides,” Margaritis said. “If they like it, that’s fine, if they don’t like it, that’s fine too.”

Mayor Eddie Francis said he’s confident the Greek community will embrace the idea of a Greektown being established west of the downtown. City council gave its unanimous approval to the idea at a closed-door meeting Thursday.

Francis is proposing a property exchange between the Greek Community’s recently acquired parcel of land on Walker Road at E.C Row Expressway and the city’s own recently acquired former Grace site.

The industrially zoned property on Walker is larger than the property abutting University Avenue, but Francis told reporters Thursday a recent assessment of both pegs a higher market value to the former Grace site.

Francis said he’s heard the rumours, too.

“There is no ulterior motive here by the city — we have no use for (the property on) Walker Road,” he said, adding the land in question is barely a quarter of what will be needed for the new regional acute care hospital currently under discussion.

After hearing from the Greek Community about what essential elements were needed in their new church and community centre site, the city hired an architect to come up with a conceptual design for the former Grace site.

“Most of what they have for Walker can be easily modified for Grace,” said Francis. The result is a new Holy Cross church and community centre anchoring a property that includes a large “Athenian Square” outdoor plaza with connecting corridor to University Avenue.

Unlike at Walker, there is opportunity at the former Grace site for urban streetscaping with retail frontage. The proposal includes townhouses for seniors, a gymnasium and classrooms.

“You can create Greektown,” said Francis, adding the central location abutting downtown allows for possibilities that couldn’t be realized at an industrial site on Walker Road. The proposal would also serve as a catalyst for urban renewal in a long-neglected area set to gain in importance with new area development like the aquatic complex and the university’s expansion into the downtown.

Margaritis said the Greek Community boasts about 500 member families, with the local area home to up to 4,000 residents of Greek descent. The Greek Community meets at its Ellis Street church on Sunday to first hear from its own council before hearing a pitch from Francis. Margaritis said a two-thirds majority of the members attending the meeting is needed to proceed.

Last week, the city received news that the province would cover the $7 million cost of acquiring the former Grace hospital site and clearing it. More than half that amount is still pending approval, but Francis said Thursday he has no doubt the province will commit to the full amount.

The non-profit Greek Orthodox Community of Windsor assembled three industrial properties totalling 12 acres on Walker two years ago with a plan to build the new church and recreation facilities, and are in the process of having the property rezoned, something the former Grace site would not require. Unlike the Walker site, the Grace site proposal would not include a soccer pitch.

The Greek Community received $14 million from the province two years ago when its 12-acre Hellenic Banquet Hall site on Talbot was expropriated for work surrounding the $1.4-billion Herb Gray Parkway.

Layout of Greek Orthodox Community of Windsor- Archways over University Avenue denoting Greek Town Area.(HANDOUT/The Windsor Star)

Concept of the Grand Entrance to Greek Orthodox Community of Windsor depicting commercial on street level and residential/office on second level. (HANDOUT/The Windsor Star)

Concept of a Greek Festival on University Avenue. (HANDOUT/The Windsor Star)

Concept of the Grand Entrance to Greek Orthodox Community of Windsor depicting commercial on street level and residential/office on second level. (HANDOUT/The Windsor Star)

Concept from aerial western view of Greek Orthodox Community of Windsor on University Avenue showing Commercial/residential at Grand Entrance. Byzantine Church and Banquet Hall. (HANDOUT/The Windsor Star)

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